The Police have arrested a 27-year-old man for his suspected involvement in a case of Government Official Impersonation Scam (“GOIS”).
On 9 April 2025 at about 11.50am, the Police received a report from a 20-year-old man who had fallen victim to a GOIS, suffering losses amounting to $40,000. The victim had been deceived by scammers posing as China government officials, who claimed his identity had been misused in China and he has been implicated in a transnational money-laundering syndicate.
Through follow up investigations, officers from the Anti-Scam Command (ASCom) and Clementi Police Division established the identity of the 27-year-old man and arrested him on the same day. He had allegedly assisted the scammers to collect monies from the victim.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the 27-year-old man, who is on Student’s Pass (STP), had himself fallen victim to the same GOIS. He was believed to have been manipulated into assisting in the scam operations under the false belief that he was helping with official investigations.
The man is being investigated for the alleged offences of cheating and cheating by personation. The offence of cheating by personation under Section 419 of the Penal Code 1871 carries an imprisonment term up to five years, or with fine, or with both. The offence of cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code 1871 carries an imprisonment term of up to ten years and a fine.
The Police take a serious stance against any person who may be involved in scams, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law. To avoid being an accomplice to crimes, members of the public should always reject requests by others to use your bank account or mobile lines as you will be held accountable if these are linked to crimes.
The Police would like to emphasise that government officials will never request members of the public over the phone or through text messages to (i) make bank transfers; (ii) provide personal banking; (iii) click on links that lead to bank websites; (iv) install third party applications or software on your computer or mobile phone. Government officials from other countries do not have legal powers to require members of the public in Singapore to perform such actions. The public are to call the Singapore Police if an alleged Chinese government official meets you in person in Singapore to pay money to him or to receive and sign documents for bail or investigation purposes.
Members of the public are encouraged to adopt the following crime prevention measures:
- ADD – Add the ScamShield App to protect yourself from scam calls and SMSes. Set security features (e.g., enable International Call Blocking options on mobile devices, enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), Multifactor Authentication for online accounts, Money Lock your bank accounts to further secure a portion of your savings).
- CHECK – Check for scam signs with official sources (e.g. call the ScamShield helpline (1799) or visit www.scamshield.gov.sg), or with someone you trust. Never disclose your personal information internet banking and social media account details, and One-Time Passwords (OTP) to anyone.
- TELL – Tell the authorities, family, and friends about this scam encounter. Report and block any suspected scam accounts and chat groups. If you suspect that you have fallen victim to a scam, call your bank immediately to report and block any fraudulent transactions and make a police report.
If you have any information relating to such crimes or if you are in doubt, please call the Police Hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit it online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness. All information will be kept strictly confidential. If you require urgent Police assistance, please dial ‘999’. For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799.
Case Exhibits Seized ▼
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
10 May 2025 @ 12:00 PM